Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as an MFP (Multi-Functional Peripheral) and its relevant technique.
Description of the Background Art
When network communication is performed between an information processing apparatus and a web server by using a web browser, a cookie is sometimes sent from the web server to the information processing apparatus, to be written into the information processing apparatus (see Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette No. 2005-99901 (Patent Document 1)). The cookie includes various information including authentication information and the like. By using the cookie including the authentication information, for example, re-login can be omitted, and so on.
Recently, an MFP or the like serving as an image forming apparatus is provided with a web browser (hereinafter, referred to simply as a browser), and can communicate with various web servers (hereinafter, referred to simply as servers). Further, the MFP also serves as an information processing apparatus for transmitting and receiving information to/from various servers to process the information or as an information processing apparatus (information display apparatus) capable of displaying information acquired from a server by using a browser.
A browser of the MFP is capable of communicating with a server (external server) provided outside the MFP and also capable of communicating with a server (internal server) provided inside the MFP.
For example, in the communication between the browser of the MFP and the external server, it is possible for the browser of the MFP to access the external server (such as an external server providing an information management service or the like). In more detail, the communication in which a document (document data) is sent to the external server providing the information management service via a network and/or a document stored in the external server is received via a network, or the like can be performed.
In the communication between the browser of the MFP and the internal server of the MFP, the browser can acquire information in the MFP via the internal server and display the acquired information on a window screen thereof. In more detail, the browser of the MFP can acquire information on various set items or the like of the MFP from the MFP (specifically, a storage part inside the MFP) via the internal server of the MFP and display thereon a menu screen on the set items of the MFP. In other words, by using the browser, it is possible to form a menu screen or the like on the set items of the MFP.
A cookie in the browser of the MFP can be used in the communication with the external server and can be also used in the communication with the internal server as discussed above.
Further, the MFP is often shared by a plurality of users. The MFP is sometimes shared, for example, by a plurality of users and the like in a company. Then, also in the MFP shared by a plurality of users, a communication operation using a browser, or the like, is performed.
In a situation where a plurality of users use one MFP to utilize an information management service in an external server, a cookie including authentication information or the like is sent from the external server and stored into the MFP.
When a user UA accesses an information management service by using a browser of an MFP and inputs authentication information to perform an authentication operation to a server providing the information management service, a cookie including the authentication information is sent to the MFP from the server providing the information management service and stored into the MFP.
If the cookie is left without doing anything, however, such a false authentication problem as discussed below occurs. Specifically, after the user UA uses the cookie, when another user (e.g., UB) uses the browser of the MFP to access the server providing the same information management service (within the cookie lifetime), the cookie stored for the user UA is referred to. As a result, the user UB is allowed to access the server by using the authentication information included in the cookie for the user UA (the authentication information for the user UA). In other words, although not the user UA, the user UB is wrongly authenticated as the user UA and allowed to make access as the user UA.
In order to avoid such a false authentication problem, using, for example, the technique of Patent Document 1 may be possible.
In Patent Document 1, shown is a technique of deleting a cookie stored in a RAM inside a mobile phone during execution of a browser when a user of the mobile phone performs an end operation of the browser. By using the technique, as the cookie is deleted after the browser is ended, it is possible to suppress leakage of the authentication information or the like in the cookie.
When transmission and reception of data is performed between an information processing apparatus and a plurality of servers, the information processing apparatus receives a plurality of cookies transmitted individually from a plurality of servers and stores the plurality of cookies therein.
When the technique of Patent Document 1 is used in such a situation, however, the plurality of cookies sent from the plurality of servers and stored in the information processing apparatus are uniformly deleted. In a case, for example, where the MFP communicates with both the internal server and the external server, both the cookie from the internal server and that from the external server are uniformly deleted. Therefore, even if the information in the cookie from the internal server can be shared, the cookie from the internal server is deleted. Thus, it is difficult to take careful measures in accordance with the servers of communication destinations.